Improvement in wheel-carriages



5-H. LEWIS.

Carriage-Spring.

Patented --Aug I 1864.

jWI era I When?! I OTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D,- C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. LEWIS, OF GREENWOOD, MASSACHUSETTS.

lMPFtOVEMENT IN WH EEL-CARRIAGES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 43,919, dated August 23, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. LEWIS, of Greenwood, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ghaises or Wheel- Uarriages of Like Nature; and 1 do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure l is a top view, and Fig. 2 a side view, of a gig or chaise provided with my invention, the nature of which consists in the combination and arrangement of asemi-elliptic spring with the thorough-braces, the side springs, and the cross-bar of such side springs, the whole being as hereinafter explained.

In the drawings, A denotes the chaise or gig body, B U the shafts, O the axle, and D D the wheels, the shafts being supported on the axle and extended backward therefrom and connected at or near their rear ends by a crossbar, a. The body A rests on two thoroughbraces or leather bands, E E, which heretofore have been secured not only to a front crossbar, I), but also to the cross-bar c of the two wooden side springs, F F, which are arranged at an acute angle with and project from the shafts.

Instead of looping the thorough-braces di- Iectly to the cross-bar c of the two sidesprings, F F, I loop them on or connect them immediatel y with the two free ends of a semi-elliptic spring, G, applied against the rear side of and fastened at its middle to the cross bar a. Each of the thorough-braces spans the bar 0.

Another modein which I have contemplated the application of my invention is to attach the semi-elliptic spring to the front cross-bar, b, and to have the thorough-braces connected to the free extremities of such spring, and also to-either the cross-bare or to a semi elliptic spring applied to the said cross-bar c.

It is found in practice that the ordinary side springs, F F, when used alone with the thorough-braces, and these latter are directly affixed to the back bar, do not afford sufficient elasticity. In other words, a person sitting in the vehicle while it may be passing over arough road or pavement will often experience sudden and disagreeable shocks or jolts, which, with the auxiliary elliptic spring applied to the side springs and thorough-braces are scarcely noticeable. The auxiliary spring therefore effects a very important improvement in the chaise or gig having its body supported on thorough-braces, and having the wooden side springs of the kind described. The auxiliary spring acts with the side springs and their thorough-braces in sustaining the body, and the whole 00- operate to render the motions of such body very easy.

I claim as my invention In the chaise or'gig, the combination of the semi-elliptic spring G with the thoroughbraces E E, the side springs, F F,- and their cross-bar 0, the whole being arrangedv and so as to co-operate substantially as hereinbefore explained. WM. H. LEWIS.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, F. P. HALE, Jr. 

